Heavier-than-air flying-machine.



G. H. CURTISS.

HEAVIER THAN AIR FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.2. I913.

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HEAVIER THAN AIR FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.2. 19 13.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

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Qvil'ncaaco G. H. CURTISS.

HEAVIER THAN AIR FLYING MACHINE.

APPUCATION FILED DEC.2. 1913.

l 1 56,2 1 5. Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

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GLENN H. CURTISS, OF HAMMONDSPORQT, NEW YORK.

HEAVIER-THAN-AIR FLYING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed August 22, 1911, Serial No. 645.340. Divided and this application filed December 2, 1913. Serial No. 804,153.

To all whom it may concern: f

Be it known that I, GLENN H. Co'i'z'rrss,

a citizen of the United States, residing at- Hammondsport, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heavier Than Air Flying Machines, of

l which the following is a clear, full, and

exact description.

This application is a' division of one reviously filed by me on August 22, 1911, No. 645,340.

My invention relates to improvements in heavier-than-air flying machines, and has reference particularly to a machine adapted to alight on the water and rise therefrom by its own power. Some of the features of invention are, however, applicable to ordinary heavier-thansair machines.

My invention will be set forth in the claims.

- In the drawings which show the preferred form of my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front, parts having been omitted in order not to complicate the drawings; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are details of the folding wheel construction and operating parts.

In the preferred form of my machine it is desirable that provision may be made by which the machine may land and float on the water and be driven forward by its own power in contact with the water, at a speed sufficient to cause the lift of the a1r to be greater than the weight of the whole machine, in order that the machine may rise out of the water and fly in the air.

In the drawings I have shown an aeroplane or heavier-than-air machine provided with floating means to support the same on the water, and other constructions by which this result may be accomplished.

The aeroplane proper is substantially the ordinary Curtissmachine which is now well known. It comprises an aeroplane surface sufficient to support the whole machine in the air and which is preferably split up into two superposed areas or surfaces 1 and 2 connected by spacing posts 3 and 4. serving as a frame.

5 is a front substantially-horizontal rudder pivoted at 6 to the frame and rockable on its pivot by a manually movable device under the control of the operator, such as .a lever 7 located in front of the operators seat and pivotedto rock back and forth on a erial boat 2 rock shaft 8 mounted between the inclined braces 26. I

9 is a connecting bar pivoted at its ends to the elevating plane 5 and to the lower end of the said post 7.

10 is a fixed horizontal surface at the rear, and 12 is a substantially horizontal elevptfig rudder pivoted to the fixed surfaces a 15 is a vertical rudder pivoted to the fixed surface.

Cross beams 16, 17 attached'to the up right posts 3 and 4 constitute a supporting frame or bed for the engine 18. This engine cylinders being arranged in V position with radiator 19, tail shaft 20, and propeller 21 having a radius 0153ifeet and pitch of 6 feet rotating at about 1200 revolutions per minute.

22 and 23 are substantially flat ailerons located between the surfaces 1 and 2 and are preferably pivoted tothe rear posts 4,. 4. These ailerons may be thrown in opposite directions by the operator by suitable connection such as cables 74, 75, to a swinging shoulder-frame70 pivoted to the operators seat 71, in order to restore the equilibrium of the machine in flight through the air. The operators seat 71 is located between lever 7 and the engine 18 and is'mounted for support on two inclined braces 26, 26' extending from the engine frame to the nose ofthe landing chassis as shown. The elevating rudders 5 and 12 serve to direct the Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

course of the machine up or down as 'de-.

sired.

Hung below the aeroplane surface 2 is a carriage frame or chassis comprising braces 24, 24, 25,25, 47, 49 and a floating means 28 for supporting the machine on the water.

Mounted'at the lower end of braces 47, 49

'my invention-shown in the drawings the floating means consistof asingle watertight brie foot deep, twofeet wide, and 16 feet long, fiat on top and bottom and upwardly-inclined at its forward underat rest. on the water the boat'i's submerged to substantially the water line indicated by the dotted line 30, and preferably extends somewhat forward of the aeroplane proper and to the rear of the propeller 21 and also to the rear of the center of gravity of the machine. I prefer to divide the floating means into separate compartments by transverse partitions 31 to prevent any water which may leak in from flowing back and forth in the boat.

Preferably two shock-absorbing braces 26, 26' extend from the supporting platform 16, 17 of the motor forwardly and downwardly to the nose of the landing chassis or carriage frame, which in the case of alighting on the land is the forward wheel 28' and when alighting on the water is the upwardly inclined prow 28 of boat 27. When the machine alights upon its forward portion the inertia of the heavy'motor tends to collapse the framework toward this forward portion. These braces 26 receive the shock from the initial impact in alighting and for this purpose are of relatively heavy material and preferably in line between the motor and the nose of the machine.

In order to prevent either side of the planes from coming in contact with the .water during travel through the water, I

have provided at each side thereof devices acted on by the rush: of water at positive angles of incidence inforder to give a lift to I either side which may be depressed. These are preferably upwardly inclined devices extending'slightly. into the water when the machine is at rest, and which when the machine is at full speed barely touch the water,

and in the embodiment shown are narrow blades 39 and 40 of flexible wood which, in traveling over the water, stand. in the.position shown in Fig. 1. If either side of the machine tips downward, the blade on that' 55 fixed to the frame-52 carry for effecting this operation is described in my copending application, Serial No. 645,340, filed August 22, 1911.

The wheels 45 and 46 mounted in the lower ends of the braces 47, 49, together with the forward wheel 28' constitute the preferred form of means for supporting my machine when traveling on land. They are mounted as shown to project'when desired slightly below the lower surface of the boat as indicated in Fig. 2. In order that they may. exert less resistance to the forward travel of the machine when the same is moving through the water I have provided means under the control of the operator for raising the wheels out of the water when the machine is floating and for depressing the same to their lowermost position as shown in Fig. 2. In the preferred construction 47 is a brace pivoted at-48 to the frame of the machine, and 49 is another brace pivoted at 50 to the frame and at 51 pivoted to a short arm 52. 'A locking device shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in detail operates tohold the wheels in their depressed position shown in Fig. 2. As shown in ,Fi 3 and 4 and 5 the wheel is pivoted to the U-shaped frame 52 having, projections 53 pivoted to the U-shaped end 54 of the brace 49. Bent arms pivoted to them at 56 a locking detent 5 which has a catch-nose 58 engaging a bar 59 in the U-shaped frame 54. 60 is a spring normally holding the latch in the position shown in Fig. 4.' The preferred mechanism for raising the wheels comprises a slidable rack bar (see Figs. 5 and 6), engaged by a spring- I premed detent 106. 62 is a wire connected to the bar and running to the axle of the wheel, being ledover suitable pulleys such as 61.

107 is a foot levenpivoted-to the boat at 108 and carrying-a spring dog 109, 110 is a spring to draw lever 107 backward. As the foot lever is reciprocated it forces the bar 105 downwardly, said bar being held by detent 106 at eachreciprocation, drawing'on wire 62 andcollapsing the frame 47 49, 52 to the raised position shown in Fig. 5. The holding latch 106 may be tripped by a wire 111 and handle 112 adjacent to the operators seat. In order to release lock 57 a wire 113 runs therefore to a pulley 114 loose on wire '62. This latter is slack when the wheels are down and locked, and as the slack is taken up it draws on wire 113, unlocking latch 57 just before wire 62 becomes taut.

Of course the other wheel is provided with the same construction, the wires 62 of both wheels being connected to rack bar 105. Releasing the detent 106 before the machine comes out of the water allows the weight of the parts and-theresistance offered by the water to throw the wheels back to the locked position shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The ma chinemay then travel out of the water onto the land and over the same without the resistance which would be exerted by the boat 27 if in contact with the earth.

The elevating rudders 5 and 12 are pivoted on transverse axes 6 and 14. The rear ruddercarries a post 63 extending above and below it, and from the upper end of this post a wire 64 leads to the lever 7 below its pivot, and from the lower end of the post 63 ,a'wire 65 leads to the lever 7 above its pivot. .Consequently when the lever 7 is pulled backward toward the operator, the connecting bar 9 causes the elevating rudder 5 to be presented to the wind at a positive angle of incidence and the rudder 12 to be tilted up to a negative angle of incidence. Consequently the action of the air on the rudder 5 tends to elevate the front of the machine, and the action of the air on the rudder 12 tends to depress the rear of the machine. Obviously movement of lever 7 in the opposite direction has the contrary effect. The vertical rudder 15 may be operated from a steering wheel 66 mounted on lever 7 and connected to the vertical rudder by tiller ropes 67, passing up through the hollow lever 7, and around said wheel 66.

The fixed surface 10 is substantiallyv V shaped to provide a fixed pivot for the vertical rudder and is fixed at its rear and immovably held at its apex by the connecting struts 68 and 69. This construction prevents the whipping which might occur if the V-shaped space between them were not provided.

The ailerons 22, 23 are preferably located substantially midway between the surfaces 1 and 2, and therefore-are not so much affected bythe deflection of the air currents caused by the impingement of the air on said surfaces 1 and 2, as said ailerons would be if they Were hung directly to the rear edge of said surface. In the present embodiment I have shown them as pivoted to the rear posts, but this location is not essential, although such location is preferable as the wedging effect of the air is less at this position than would be the case if they were moved forward and pivoted to the front osts. I, however, do not desire to be lim- 1ted to either such location of theailerons. The ailerons, as well as the rear rudder 12, are stiffened by wires running from each end of the posts or projections thereon to the corners of said surfaces.

I am aware that various modifications more aerialsupportin'g surfaces and a land .supporting surfaces, a landing chassis haying a nose portion upon which impact is made in alighting, a platform mounted in an elevated position above said chassis and behind the nose portion thereof, said platform being adapted to support a. body of relatively heavy mass during the flight of the machine, and a relatively heavy beam braceconnected to said platform at its up per end and extending forwardly and downwardly in a straight line between said platform and said nose ortion and connected to sail nose portion 0 the chassis at its lower en 3. A flying machine comprising one or more aerial supporting surfaces, and a floating device below the same adapted to support said machine upon the water, said floating device having an upwardly inclined prow for receiving the initial impact in alighting, a driving motor of relatively heavy mass supported above said floating device and behind said prow, and a rela-.

carriage frame and disposed respectively fore and aft of the engine, and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined brace secured at-its lower end to the carriage frame, and secured at its upper end to the engine.

5.-In a flying machine, a frame, an engine supported by the frame, a carriage frame supporting said frame, carrying wheels mounted on the. carriage frame, two

braces having their forward ends secured to the carriage frame adjacent to the front endthereof and extending upwardly and rearwardly and having their rear ends secured to the engine, an operating lever pivoted to -said two braces, and a seat secured to said braces between the lever and engine.

6. A hydroaeroplane comprising a main float structure having a horizontally disposed broad upwardly inclined landing prbw, an aerial supporting surface arranged transversely of said boat structure near the prow thereof, a base adapted to support a body of relatively large massin elevated position above the body of said-float and in the rear of the prow thereof, and a longitudroplaning bottom-having an upwardly inclined broad landing prow through which the machine initially impacts with the water when alighting thereon, or running'thereover, a driving motor mounted in an ele-- vated position above the main body of said float, and a longitudinal strut brace extend- 5 7 ing diagonally between said broad prow of said float structure and said driving motor and s acing the same a fixed distance apart, where y the inertia of said elevated motor is entirely counteracted by the buoyancy of 20' said prow when said hydroaeroplane float impacts with the water.

Signed at Hammondsport, N. Y., this 25th day of November 1913.

GLENN H. GURTISS. Witnesses:

G. R. HALL, v J. W. Soo'r'r. 

